Friday, Sept. 10, 2004 | 10:55 a.m.
Two Southern Nevada gaming license applicants were under the microscope Thursday, ultimately winning a recommendation for a restricted license from the state Gaming Control Board.
One request, from Short Line Gaming LLC, signals the return of the Becker family to the industry, while the other for E-T-T Inc. would put managers from the Terrible's Casino chain into The Beach, a nightspot near the Las Vegas Convention Center.
Control Board members welcomed back the Becker name, as Ernest Becker IV and Kathleen Becker, trustees of the Ernest A. Becker and Kathleen C. Becker Family Trust, were licensed as owners and managers of a slot route for a group of convenience stores with the Short Line name.
Ernest Becker built the Charleston Heights neighborhood, including the Arizona Charlie's hotel-casino on Decatur Boulevard. The 258-room property was bought out of bankruptcy in 1999 by billionaire financier Carl Icahn, a specialist in taking over distressed properties. Icahn now owns the two Arizona Charlie's properties as well as the Stratosphere hotel and casino.
While the Beckers were welcomed with open arms, one of the family's partners in the venture endured a 2 1/2-hour grilling by regulators before being recommended for a two-year restricted license. The recommendation goes to the Nevada Gaming Commission later this month.
Marshall Morton, a manager for one of the stores pegged for a restricted license, came under scrutiny for tax issues, concerns about business ethics and for giving Control Board agents incorrect information about his ownership of a company.
Morton, described as "a nice guy and a gentleman" by supporters at the meeting, blamed many of his tax-filing problems on his accountant. But after intense questioning by board members, he admitted that he ultimately was responsible for his problems.
Board members were most critical of Morton's placement of titles for recreational vehicles and personal watercraft under a company he called AMBS I LLC. Morton said he took business expense tax deductions in the company because he used the vehicles to entertain clients.
Regulators also criticized Morton for entering into a business arrangement with Short Line while he was a manager for Southland Corp.'s 7-Eleven convenience store franchise. Southland opted against building a store Morton recommended, so, with the Southland's blessing, he generated a deal with Short Line.
Regulators also said Control Board investigators received conflicting information about Morton's ownership role in a company he had with a partner who died of cancer.
Morton said he has learned from his mistakes and has hired a new accountant to help straighten out his tax finances. That apparently appeased regulators enough to recommend licensure.
Another applicant who received intense scrutiny was Mark Sterbens Jr., a manager for The Beach, who received a two-year restricted license as a key employee for E-T-T Inc.
Board member Bobby Siller said he once slapped handcuffs on someone who did something similar to what Sterbens admitted doing -- depositing an empty deposit envelope into an automatic teller machine, claiming there was a deposit and then withdrawing cash from the machine.
Like Morton, Sterbens admitted to a lapse in judgment and the board approved the conditional license.
In other business, the Control Board approved nine new locations for the state's largest race and sports book franchise and recommended approval of a 1960s television star to participate as an owner of North Las Vegas casino.
American Wagering Inc., Las Vegas, which operates the Leroy's Horse and Sports Place franchise, was recommended for approval of the establishment of a new full-time sports book, three part-time books and six locations with automated kiosks.
Regulators recommended to the Nevada Gaming Commission that licenses for books be allowed at the Westward Ho in Las Vegas, the Club Fortune casino and Casino Montelago in Henderson, the Alamo Travel Center in Sparks, Sturgeon's Log Cabin in Lovelock, Winners Hotel and Casino in Winnemucca, the Comstock Casino in Carson City, the Silver Springs Nugget in Silver Springs and the Bonanza Inn and Casino in Fallon.
The board also recommended approval of licensing for Max Baer Jr., for The Gambler in North Las Vegas. Baer, who played Jethro in the old "Beverly Hillbillies" television sitcom and owns rights to that character's likeness on a series of slot machines, has an agreement with licensors to put the Beverly Hillbillies name on a casino property.
So, by the end of the year, the North Las Vegas property will become known as the Beverly Hillbillies Gambler.
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